Milkha Singh
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Achievements
By K Datta, A race that still stops time in India, August 29, 2017: The Times of India
When Milkha Singh narrowly missed a bronze medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics, television had not invaded our drawing rooms like it did during PV Sindhu's epic battle which sent heart-beats fluctuating with excitement.
In the 1950s and '60s, you had to wait for morning's newspapers for news about Milkha's exploits, perhaps primitive compared to today when news spreads instantly . Yet, the races which the Indian sport's first superstar took part in, at home or abroad, created a buzz whenever he stepped on a track.
Memories are still fresh of the days in September 1960 when Milkha made his way through the heats into the final of the 400 metres final. He began by clocking 47.6 seconds in the first heat, and followed up with running the quarter-final and semi-final heats in 45.5 and 45.9.
Milkha has admitted that he had difficulty falling asleep on the night before the Rome final. Nothing unusual. There were athletics fans back home who also went through a similar experience. But once the starter cracked his gun, our man, running in the fifth lane if memory serves right, was off to a promising start. For some reason, some called it an error of judgement, he slowed down a bit at the 250 metre mark. Otis Davis of the US, Germany's Karl Kaufmann, and Spence were there at the tape ahead of Milkha, who was fourth in 46.5 sec.
Milkha's hopes, as also that of his fellow-countrymen, of winning an Olympic track medal ended in painful disappointment, a pain which endures to this day.
2017/ WHO’s ambassador (South-East Asia) for physical activity
August 11, 2017: The Indian Express
Sprint legend Milkha Singh has been appointed as the World Health Organisation's goodwill ambassador for physical activity in South-East Asia Region (SEAR), the global health body said
As WHO goodwill ambassador, Singh, also known as ‘the Flying Sikh’, will promote WHO SEAR’s non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevention and control action plan which seeks to reduce the level of insufficient physical activity by 10 per cent and NCDs by 25 per cent by 2025, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia said.
“Promoting physical activity for health is an important intervention, which is expected to get a significant boost in the region with the support of octogenarian Milkha Singh, a champion for the cause,” she said. According to her, an estimated 8.5 million people die due to non-communicable diseases every year in WHO South-East Asia Region and many of these deaths are premature and nearly all are lifestyle related.
Regular exercise and physical activity help reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, diabetes and cancer – that are now increasingly afflicting people across the world. An alarming 70 per cent of boys, 80 per cent of girls and nearly 33 per cent adults in the region report insufficient physical activity which is becoming a common feature of modern life, Singh pointed out.
WHO recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity for children daily and 150 minutes of activity for adults weekly to stave off non-communicable diseases. Physical activity helps those aged 65 years and above to maintain cognitive functioning and reduce the risk of depression, the world health body said. To facilitate this, WHO has also been advocating with governments to create public spaces for recreational and organised sport. It has been advocating for physical activity as a “best buy” intervention for reducing the risk of deaths due to NCDs.
“Whatever be the age group, gender, physical ability, or socio-economic background, being physically active is an effective way to ensure a healthy and productive life,” the regional director said. With the support of Milkha Singh, we expect to promote and scale up physical activity in the region to be able to arrest and reverse the NCD epidemic, she said. Milkha Singh is a Padma Shri awardee and had won medals in athletics in Commonwealth and Asian games. He had missed a bronze medal by a whisker in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
